This morning, Jarques Nijay Riggins, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with a 20 year minimum/mandatory, for Trafficking in Dangerous Fentanyl or Fentanyl Analogues over 14 grams. He was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine for that count.
He was also sentenced to 5 years in prison for Possession of Cocaine and given credit time served for Possession of Paraphernalia. The charges are to run concurrently.
The defendant was convicted in February following a jury trial in Lee County. Assistant State Attorney Leena Marcos prosecuted the case.
On September 11, 2023, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was serving an arrest warrant for the defendant, for a drug case. They located him at a motel in North Fort Myers. When contact was initiated with the defendant at the door of the motel room, law enforcement observed several plastic baggies filled with white powder, on a table, in plain view.
Once the defendant was taken into custody, a search warrant was obtained and executed on the room. In addition to the baggies, there was also a shoebox located that contained Fentanyl and cocaine, as well as drug paraphernalia.
The contents of the baggies that were collected were later identified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as also containing Fentanyl.
Samantha Syoen – Communications Director, State Attorney’s Office